Paint brush cleaner



Au 23, 1960 c, ND 2,949,921

PAINT BRUSH CLEANER Filed May 12, 1958 Fig". 1

2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 I I i 1 l I l t l i 14' I E "I l a 1 s l 9 V JINVENTOR.

Calvin EBoZand Aug. 23, 1960 c. E. BOLAND PAINT BRUSH CLEANER 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 12, 1958 INVENTOR.

Ca Z uirz EBoZand Ml; M

RTTYS e m a s ii Iii cac 1 PAINT BRUSH Calvin E. Boland, P.O. Box 1585,Visalia, Calif.

Filed May 12, 1958, Ser. No. 734,581

3 Claims. (Cl. 134-140) This invention relates to a device forsupporting paint brushes in a depending position in a cleaning solvent,and swishing the brushes while in the solvent so that an efficientcleaning action is imparted to the brushes. Such a device is shown in myPatent No. 2,640,489, dated June 2, 1953, but this patented device was aselfcontained unit of a substantially permanent nature and reltaivelyheavy, bulky, and expensive.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a device for thepurposes which utilizes: a standard orbital power unit as the source ofpower; a brush holder adapted to be detachably connected to the movablepart of the power unit; an ordinary standard five-gallon can as thesolvent container, and into which the brush holder fits;

and a means adapted to be detachably connected to the stationary part ofthe power unit and arranged so that the latter may be removablysupported from the rim of the can, with the brush holder-when mounted onthe power unit-depending into the can.

This arrangement provides a very compact, inexpensive, and portablestructure, and since the power unit used is an orbital type sander-animplement used and usually owned by professional painters when preparingthe surfaces to be painted-the only expense involved in the constructionof the brush cleaning device is the brush holder, and the means forsupporting the power unit on the solvent-containing can.

In using such specific form of power unit for a new or difierent purposethan that for which it was originally designed, no changes of any kindare made thereto, and being easily and quickly connected to and detachedfrom the parts of the brush cleaning devicesaid unit can serve bothpurposes, and the purchase and use of such device does not entail thecost of the relatively expensive power unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a paint brush cleanerwhich is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical and reliablepaint brush cleaner, and one which will be exceedingly effective for thepurpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the brush cleaner partly broken out and asmounted on a can.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 33 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a power unit supporting arm showingthe same equipped with a longitudinally adjustable extension.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and

Patented Aug. as, race to the characters of reference marked thereon,the orbital sander or power unit which I employ as the operating meansfor my new brush cleaner comprises an upper stationary body 1 in whichthe operating motor and mechanism are mounted, and a rectangular baseplate 2. which is horizontally moved through a short eccentric orbitupon operation of the motor. This is a standard form of device now onthe market, and a full showing and description of the same is thereforeunnecessary.

Designed to fit within a conventional five-gallon can 3 with ampleclearance is a multiple-brush support which includes a box 4, here shownas being square to hold four large sized paint brushes, but capable ofbeing made in other shapes. On each side of the box, and substantiallymidway of the height and length thereof, a brush holder or clamp ismounted. This holder comprises a preferably circular clamping pad 5disposed with its axis horizontal. This pad is of rubber or similarcushion material and is mounted on end arms 6 and '7, which include aconnecting cross member 8 projecting through the pad.. These armsslidably project through the side wall of the box into the interiorthereof, as shown in Fig. 3. In addition, the arm 6 slidably projectsthrough the adjacent parallel wall of a smaller symmetrical box 9 whichdepends from the top wall 10 of box 4, and is rigid therewith. Thisarrangement prevents any vertical teetering of the brush holding andclamping unit even though the wall of the box is relatively thin anddoes not of itself provide an adequate bearing surface for the mms ofthe holder.

At the same time, only one arm of each brush holder being thus engagedby the additional guide means provided by the inner box 9, correspondingarms of all four brush holders may project into and be guided by thewalls of said box without interfering with each other, as clearly shownin Fig. 3.

Disposed about each arm 6 within the box 4 is a compression spring 11extending between the inner wall of said box 4 and a stop 12 on said arm6 and normally holding the latter against the outer wall of the innerbox a 9. When the stop is thus in contact with the box 9, the

clamping pad 5 on the outside of the box 4 is held immedially adjacentthe outer face of said box, as shown.

The distance between the arms 6 and 7 or each brush holder is suflicientto receive the upper portion of the handle 13 of any paint brush 14, asindicated in Fig. 1. Also, the distance the pad 5 of the brush holdermay be pulled out from the wall of the box, against the resistance ofspring 11, is 'sutficient to receive said handle between the pad andbox.

A handle locating cradle 15 is mounted on the top of box 4 in directalinement with the related pad 5 laterally of the box, so as to engage ahandle and prevent possible lateral swaying of a clamped brush.

In order to detachably connect the box 4 to the base plate 2 of thepower unit, bolts 16 are secured in and project upwardly from the topwall 10 of box 4 adjacent but laterally out from the opposite side edgesof base plate 2. A clip 17 is turnably mounted on each bolt, between alock nut 18 and a tensioning nut 19 thereon, and projects from the boltso that when the base plate and box are brought into contact with eachother, the clip may be turned so as to overhang the base plate, and thenbrought into clamping contact therewith when the nut 19 is advanced, asshown in Fig. 4.

In order to detachably support the power unit and the connected brushholding box 4 from the can 3 With the box depending into the can, armunits 20 are mounted on opposite sides of the body 1 of the power unit.Each such unit 20 comprises straight end portions 21 disposed insubstantially radial relation to the body 1 and connected by a centralportion 22 curved to engage and follow the contour of the lower portionof the body 1. The opposed armunits are clamped to the body and to eachother by a pair of cross bolts 23 disposed adajcent but clear of thebody 1 at the junction of the end portions 21 with the curved portions22 of the arm units, as clearly shown in Fig.2.

In order to prevent possible downward slipping of the body 1 in the armunits, the central portions 22 of the latter may each be provided on theoutside with a depending plate 24 having an inturned lip 25 on its lowerend to engage under the body 1, as shown in Fig. 4.

The arm units are sufliciently long that their outer ends will overhangand rest on the rim of the can 3, and are notched or undercut at theirouter ends, as at 26, so that the arm units are'held from lateraldisplacement.

If desired to adapt the arm units to cans of somewhat greater diameter,an extension 2 7-notched at its outer end for cam-rim engagementmay beapplied to the outer portion 21 of each arm unit 20. 7 Such extension isslidably connected to said arm portion 21 for longitudinal adjustmentrelative thereto by means of longitudinally spaced clamping bolts 28mounted in the arm portion 21 and projecting through a longitudinal slot29 in the extension 27 (see Figs. 5 and 6).

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects ofthe invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrommay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of theinvention, as defined by the appended claims. ,7

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

I. A paint brush cleaner comprising in combination with a power unitwhich includes a body and a base plate movable relative to the bodythrough a predeter mined orbital path in a horizontal plane, arms rigidwith and projecting from the body to rest on the rim of asolvent-containing can to support the power unit from such can, and abrush holding device secured to and depending from the base plate; saiddevice including a flat top plate of greater size than the base plate,and said device comprising bolts secured in and upstanding from the topplate on opposite sides of and adjacent the base plate, clips movablymounted on the bolts to releasably overhang the base plate, and clampingnuts on the bolts engaging the clips to advance and clamp the sameagainst the base plate.

2. A paint brush cleaner comprising, with a power unit having a baseplate movable through a predetermined orbital path in a horizontalplane, a brush holding device secured to and depending from the baseplate, said device comprising a hollow member having a peripheralvertical outer wall of material height, and a plurality of brush-holdingclamps mounted on the member in horizontally spaced relation about theouter wall intermediate the top and bottom edges thereof; each clampcomprising a cushion pad on the outside of said wall and wider than abrush handle, arms projecting from the ends of the pad and slidablethrough the wall, and spring means on one arm back of the wall andyieldably resisting movement of the cushion pad away from the outer faceof the wall.

3. A paint brush cleaner comprising, with a power unit having a baseplate movable through a predetermined orbital path in a horizontalplane, a brush holding device secured to and depending from the baseplate, said device comprising a hollow member having a peripheralvertical outer wall and an inner wall parallel to the outer wall, and aplurality of brush-holding clamps mounted on the member in horizontallyspaced relation about the outer wall; each clamp comprising a cushionpad on the outside of said wall and wider than a brush handle,

relatively long and short arms projecting from the ends of the pad andslidable through the wall, the long arm only projecting through theinner wall, a stop fixed on said long arm between the walls and normallydisposed adjacent the inner wall, and a compression spring on said longarm between the outer wall and the stop and normally holdingthe latteragainst the inner wall; the cushion pad being then immediately adjacentthe outer face of the outer wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS632,900 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1949

